Cat Matlala trial: Alleged hitman disputes hospital records after court ruling
· Citizen
Musa Kekana has challenged aspects of the medical evidence being used to test his credibility in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, insisting that he never told doctors he had been admitted to hospital because of food poisoning.
Kekana, who is accused of being an alleged hitman in the attempted murder trial involving tenderpreneur Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, was back on the witness stand on Wednesday, 16 September 2026.
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His testimony formed part of a trial-within-a-trial focused on whether evidence allegedly obtained by police following his 2024 arrest should be admitted into the main proceedings.
The state is seeking to have cellphone records and statements in which Kekana allegedly made admissions admitted into evidence.
Musa Kekana’s hospitalisation
The circumstances surrounding Kekana’s medical treatment came under renewed scrutiny.
The court previously heard that Kekana was taken to Edenvale Hospital after coughing blood at his residence in Kew, Johannesburg, in April 2024.
At the time, Kekana was being arrested in connection with the killing of engineer Armand Swart in Vereeniging.
Dr Pooja Panicker told the court in her evidence-in-chief that Kekana reported being assaulted by members of the South African Police Service (Saps).
According to Panicker, the accused also complained of chronic coughing when she examined him on 17 April.
His medical records also contained details of an earlier hospitalisation on 3 March 2024.
The records indicated that Kekana had been admitted following what was recorded as a cocaine and alcohol overdose after losing consciousness and experiencing respiratory failure.
He reportedly spent five days at Edenvale Hospital, where there was an alleged threat.
High court ruling
The defence had objected to the state using the hospital records during its questioning of Kekana, arguing that portions of the documents amounted to hearsay.
Judge Ismail Cassim Moosa overruled the objection, noting that the medical records had been placed before the court by the defence without restrictions on how they could be used.
Moosa argued that the court must treat any document officially entered into an exhibit as part of the evidentiary record.
“It is the considered view of this court that the objection, as a general proposition, is not justified and not sound in law,” he remarked.
The judge further indicated that statements attributed directly to Kekana could potentially be treated differently from hearsay evidence as it constitutes an admission.
‘Lost consciousness’
State prosecutor Elize le Roux then questioned Kekana about the circumstances surrounding his March hospital admission.
Kekana conceded that he had consumed Hennessy the day before he was admitted to hospital.
Le Roux put it to him that the hospital records indicated that he had been admitted for alcohol poisoning rather than food poisoning.
Kekana rejected the suggestion that he had previously claimed to have suffered food poisoning.
“I said that I had [a drink], lost consciousness and woke up in hospital,” he testified.
He also disputed aspects of what Panicker recorded about his condition and what he allegedly told medical personnel.
Kekana denied telling the doctor where he had allegedly been assaulted.
“I did not mention anything about being suffocated at the police station. I did not mention the place. I just said I was assaulted and suffocated by the police.”
Dispute over symptoms
The state also questioned Kekana about symptoms allegedly recorded by Panicker.
Kekana denied telling the doctor he had experienced night sweats, although he acknowledged mentioning weight loss.
He maintained that the weight loss was not associated with any illness.
“So she sucked that from her thumb?” Le Roux asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe you should have asked that when she was here testifying,” Kekana replied.
The alleged hitman also rejected the suggestion that he had told Panicker he had been coughing for two weeks.
“It’s not the truth, and it did not come from me.”
Accused recounts arrest
The cross-examination also returned to Kekana’s allegations about how he was treated during his arrest.
He told the court that he had asked police officers not to manhandle him because he was sick and feared being assaulted.
Kekana specifically referred to Captain Phimi Alfred Sekgobela, a tactical response team (TRT) officer involved in his arrest.
“The way that Captain Sekgobela lifted me up or handled [it at ] the time, I saw that I was going to be assaulted.”